Is having to arrive 3 hours before departure efficient?

Bretrick

Bretrick

Well-known Member
Location
Perth Western Australia
Just heard that to catch an international flight from Australia one must arrive at least 3 hours before flight departure.
Domestic flight? 2 hours before departure.
All one has to do is use the self serve electronic check in terminals to confirm plus check in baggage.
That should be a smooth process, yes?
Airlines are treating passengers as mugs
 

Bretrick said:
Just heard that to catch an international flight from Australia one must arrive at least 3 hours before flight departure.
Domestic flight? 2 hours before departure.
All one has to do is use the self serve electronic check in terminals to confirm plus check in baggage.
That should be a smooth process, yes?
Airlines are treating passengers as mugs
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Yes. 3 hours for international, 2 hours for domestic.
And... not mugs if you fly business or first class.
 
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I used to fly a lot. I was in Alaska Airlines highest MVP status and Delta’s second highest. Also flew on Southwest, American, and Frontier and many small commuters. You have to know the airports. They are not monolithic. I am sure it’s changed since 2017, but at the time, for example - Denver was a disaster, crazy lines. But others like Tucson and Raleigh, getting there an hour ahead was more than sufficient. Also, time of day. Most airports seem to get backed up during prime day hours. Even with a TSA number and priority boarding, I didn’t trust Denver (esp. during ski season!) and a few other airports. Allowed plenty of time.
 
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What amazes me is the utter confusion. It's like the airlines just opened up for business yesterday, and they're still trying to work out the kinks. After the millions of passengers, you'd think they have it down pat.
What irritates the hell out of me is that if you've got the cash, you don't have to put up that security nonsense, you just board the plane. And of course, nobody searches your Gucci baggage.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
What amazes me is the utter confusion. It's like the airlines just opened up for business yesterday, and they're still trying to work out the kinks. After the millions of passengers, you'd think they have it down pat.
What irritates the hell out of me is that if you've got the cash, you don't have to put up that security nonsense, you just board the plane. And of course, nobody searches your Gucci baggage.
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Yes. Money provides advantages over the masses.
Disgraceful.
 
I've heard the 2-hour domestic, 3-hour international rule for years. I'm one of those people who worries a lot about time and possibly missing a flight, though, so I always allow tons of time.

I'm the sort of anxious type that books a multi-leg flight with layovers of at least 90 minutes. Very inefficient, but it saves my peace of mind. 😄
 
Not sure if you have something similar in Australia, but we in the US have TSA Pre-check. One certainly doesn't have to be wealthy to have it. You pay a nominal fee of $78-$85 and it is good for 5 years.

I frequently fly out of Dallas and we also have facial recognition. I typically get through the line in less than 10 minutes. We always arrive 2 hours early for domestic flights and then have an hour and a half to sit around.

But then it really does depend on the airport. I've flown in and out of Sydney and it was a bit of a madhouse as I recall, but then I had to go through customs. If you are flying internationally, just make sure your luggage is checked all the way through. That will make your connection much easier. If your flight is direct, that much better.
 
KSav said:
I've heard the 2-hour domestic, 3-hour international rule for years. I'm one of those people who worries a lot about time and possibly missing a flight, though, so I always allow tons of time before I catch a flight.

I'm the sort of anxious type that books a multi-leg flight with layovers of at least 90 minutes. Very inefficient, but it saves my peace of mind. 😄
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You are doing things right. I traveled constantly on business during my career and I always made sure to arrive at the airport during the designated time and always built in time for connections. You are not being anxious. You are being realistic.
 
seadoug said:
but then I had to go through customs. If you are flying internationally, just make sure your luggage is checked all the way through.
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You’ve got that right ( adding time for customs). I remember coming back from South America once, getting tied up in customs for the longest time. This was before Global Entry (something I would highly encourage getting if you are a regular international traveller). They brought out the sniffing dogs. People were being pulled from the waiting areas and taken into “interviews”. I guess someone got intelligence on something or someone being on board that flight. It was nerve wracking.
 
seadoug said:
Not sure if you have something similar in Australia, but we in the US have TSA Pre-check. One certainly doesn't have to be wealthy to have it. You pay a nominal fee of $78-$85 and it is good for 5 years.

I frequently fly out of Dallas and we also have facial recognition. I typically get through the line in less than 10 minutes. We always arrive 2 hours early for domestic flights and then have an hour and a half to sit around.

But then it really does depend on the airport. I've flown in and out of Sydney and it was a bit of a madhouse as I recall, but then I had to go through customs. If you are flying internationally, just make sure your luggage is checked all the way through. That will make your connection much easier. If your flight is direct, that much better.
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There is pre check-in.
Can be done online from anywhere.
No fee attached
 
Bretrick said:
There is pre check-in.
Can be done online from anywhere.
No fee attached
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TSA-pre is a screening measure used to enable travelers to enter security check points from their own dedicated lines (MUCH shorter) and endure less intrusive screening than others. It involves being finger printed and having a background check.

TSA, Transportation Security Administration, a dept of the US federal .gov
 
If I don't get to the airport AT LEAST two hours before the flight, I'm a nervous wreck. I've gotten to the airport with what I thought was PLENTY of time and BAM! there's a big tie-up at check-in, security, what-have-you and I've barely made it to the gate.

With the way traffic is in Orlando, I also have to factor in road delays. Accidents, roadwork, exits and entrances being closed. If parking at the airport, I have to factor in parking and taking the shuttle to the airport if parking off-site or driving around in the garages looking for a spot.

I'd rather stroll in leisurely, not sweat it, check in, get through TSA, wander around a bit, look in the shops, go to the potty, have a snack, people-watch, go to the potty, go to the potty again, etc. I really do enjoy people-watching. Sometimes, I strike up a conversation with someone and I always enjoy that. I'll have a book along. The phone is charged.

An airport is never going to be as exciting as a train station, though, at least the train stations in the old days. My grandma and I used to catch trains to go places. Great big marble edifices with towering ceilings, really important sounds echoing off them. People scurrying around. Soldiers and sailors sitting on their duffle bags. Very important announcements such as: "Now loading on track mumble-mumble, for mumble, mumble, mumble and points west!" Somehow, people seemed to always know which mumble was their train.
 
jujube said:
My grandma and I used to catch trains to go places. Great big marble edifices with towering ceilings, really important sounds echoing off them. People scurrying around. Soldiers and sailors sitting on their duffle bags. Very important announcements such as: "Now loading on track mumble-mumble, for mumble, mumble, mumble and points west!" Somehow, people seemed to always know which mumble was their train.
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Train leaving on track nine for Anaheim, Azusa and Cuuuuuuuucamonga. All aboard. (Mel Blanc on the Jack Benny radio show).
 
The good and bad of Dallas-Fort Worth airport is that there are five terminals. The good is that there is not the tie-up in traffic with airports like LAX and Sea-Tac because everyone is not dropping off in one area. The bad is that American Airlines frequently changes gates. We may be scheduled to fly out of C13 and they change the gate to A15 (example). We have already checked in at C but then we have to take the Skylink to A.
 
seadoug said:
The good and bad of Dallas-Fort Worth airport is that there are five terminals. The good is that there is not the tie-up in traffic with airports like LAX and Sea-Tac because everyone is not dropping off in one area. The bad is that American Airlines frequently changes gates. We may be scheduled to fly out of C13 and they change the gate to A15 (example). We have already checked in at C but then we have to take the Skylink to A.
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OMG. Seattle(Sea-Tac) is a hell hole airport.
 
My local airport suggests 2 hours international and 1 1/2 hours domestic. Check in and security has been upgraded recently and the process is pretty smooth. My main concern is connection times for multi-stage trips. Many airlines will allow booking flights with unrealistic connection times. They may theoretically be sufficient, but one small hold up can mess up the whole flight.
 
At one point in my career we would frequently have multiple people flying to the same destination for 1-2 day meetings. If the meeting was in the northeastern US, we could often charter a plane for about the same cost as flying commercial. Generally this worked if there were four or more of us. Yes, private charters have some definite advantages. :)
 
I travel between Nashville and Los Angeles frequently as my oldest is out there. Less often between Nashville and Syracuse in Upstate NY.

Both Nashville and Los Angeles airports are international hubs, and they’re ridiculously busy all the time. Experience has taught me to arrive a full 2 hours before departure at both airports to ensure I make my flight.

Yes, there are times I make it through security with an hour and a half to spare. Great, depending on time of day I’ll grab a coffee or a cocktail and de-stress for a while before boarding.

Other times though, for a variety of reasons outside of my control, I’m running to catch my flight which is already boarding! And that’s really the crux of the matter for me…..so much of what we deal with at airports is outside of our control, so my approach always is to build in lots of extra time to allow for all those glitches I can’t personally control once I walk through the airport doors.

Syracuse airport is a lot less busy by comparison, so I’ve learned we can get there 1 1/2 hours before departure and we’ll be fine.

I try always to fly nonstop, but occasionally I have to do a connecting flight, and as @seadoug already mentioned, I think it’s prudent to book a flight with plenty of time built in for the connection.
 
OldOld said:
Hello. Private jets use their own seperate terminals, not the public terminals.
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This was on a commercial flight. There's a long story of why I was at this special counter. These two came in with a tram full of 20-30 bags, they booked their flight and waltzed right on to the plane, and their baggage went right out to the plane. While I'm waiting at this counter on my left was a huge room full of people taking their shoes off, and baggage being x-rayed and having wands scan them.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
This was on a commercial flight. There's a long story of why I was at this special counter. These two came in with a tram full of 20-30 bags, they booked their flight and waltzed right on to the plane, and their baggage went right out to the plane. While I'm waiting at this counter on my left was a huge room full of people taking their shoes off, and baggage being x-rayed and having wands scan them.
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I bet there is more to the story of the passengers at the special counter. Yes, premium class passengers and elite flyers have their own special counters.
 

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